Other than opening the traditional can of worms/debate over the appropriateness of recording that second assist, a couple of interesting observations flow from this analysis:

1) the stock of players like Thornton, Jagr, Crosby, Alfredsson, Prospal and Ovechkin should go up, and the stock of centres like Savard, Richards and Spezza should decline; and

2) No Vancouver forwards were on that list. Although, I think that there are some pretty obvious reasons for the absence of 'Nucks from that list (both Nazzy and Bert liked to hold onto the puck, and Henrik cycles . . . sometime endlessly . . . with his brother).

I don't know. While a goal often results from great pass first assist I think you see just as many goals from a beautiful shot or move by the scorer and just as many again from a great play by the second assist guy who starts the play.

I honestly think the first assist thing is something people do to kill time. I really think you can tell the top point getters that you'd want on your team from the ones you don't simply by watching them play. It's a much more effective measure. I'm not sure that list provides any sort of elucidation for that determination. For example while marc Savard goes down the ranking he does so by a mere 2 spots and remains top 5. Richards goes down one spot (though i'd want him on the team anyday but not Savard). Spezza drops way too much. You only had to watch that line last year to know Spezza was integral to springing his linemates or setting up the play. There really isn't much significant movement on that list except for Brendan Morrow, Boyes and maybe Tanguay. I'm not sure anyone would be jumping to take those guys over the other guys on the new list that are below them (well maybe Morrow but not for scoring but because of intensity). When the difference between 30th and 17th is a mere 2-3 assists for either ranking system a movement of even 10 places is essentially insignificant.

I like the second assist.
Take for example the Sedins when they were on the 4 on 4 last night and playing their Harlem-Globetrotter's rendition of keep-away from the Oilers. Say the Sedins are passing it back and forth for two minutes and then one shoots it towards the net and it bounces in off of Naslund's nose, or Bieksa's butt, or Cooke's....duh anyways, say that happens. The goal scorer would get a point, the last Sedin to touch the puck would get a point, and then if we are only counting first assists, the other Sedin would get no credit for that play? Even though without him the play and the eventual goal definitely would not have happened? For a team that cycles, and a pair like the Sedins, the second assist is just as important as the first and should be weighted just as heavily.

I like the second assist too, but there are times when the third player who started the play will get shafted and at times when you just get it by passing to Ovechkin in your own zone and then he goes end to end and scores.

It's almost arbitrary how they give out the assists. IMO which is why we have a Rocket Richard trophy and not a Gretzky trophy.

jchockey wrote:It's almost arbitrary how they give out the assists. IMO which is why we have a Rocket Richard trophy and not a Gretzky trophy.

Gretzky would have won the Rocket trophy 5 times if it had existed...the same number of tiem the Rocket would have won it! He was far more than assists. IN his prime Gretzky did everything well...except breakaways. he was never that good at breakaways.

Interestingly Phil Esposito would have won it 6 times and Bobby Hull 7 times.